Mr. Turner: In The Grapes of Wrath, we see that the struggle to organize, to get justice for the migrant farm workers, was long and difficult. [...] Now, like the Joads, we also find ourselves in the middle of a little struggle. We don't want tests. We think we can learn the material without 'em. Now, the boss – or Mr. Feeny, in this case – doesn't believe us, so what we gotta do is prove to the boss that we can learn this book without taking a test.Cory: Right.Mr. Turner: Right. And to prove that, we're just gonna answer a few questions on this piece of paper.Cory: It's a test!Mr. Turner: No, don't think of it as a test. It's a survey.Cory: Survey says?Class: Test!Cory: You gave us your word!Shawn: I even read the book! Yeah, my head still hurts.Cory: So, why don't we just talk about the book, like you said?Mr. Turner: Because I couldn't change the system overnight, Matthews. Come on, work with me here.Cory: I'm not taking this test!

"Me and Mr. Joad" is the fourth episode of season two of Boy Meets World, and the 26th episode overall. It first aired on October 14, 1994. The episode was written by Jeff Menell and was directed by David Trainer.

Plot

When the class is assigned to read The Grapes of Wrath, Cory develops a way to read the book so it will make sense: from the end to the beginning. His theory is that knowing what happens later would make what happened before it make sense. It all seems worthwhile when he is able to explain his interpretation of the ending to a very shocked class.

Mr. Turner, trying to get the class to discuss the book's content, soon becomes annoyed when students keep asking whether or not they will need to know certain things for the test. In an attempt to keep things on subject, he makes a deal: if everyone reads the book and discusses it, no test. The students eagerly agree. Mr. Feeny, however, thinks that this will be an excuse for the kids to do no work, and convinces Turner to hand out a test to see if his "no test policy" is reasonable.

Upon realizing Turner broke his promise, Cory becomes angered. Inspired by the book, he leads his fellow students on "strike." They march out of the classroom to the cafeteria, where they start chanting about how they want to replace macaroni with steak and lobster. However, Feeny soon halts their display of defiance by threatening to cancel school activities. Cory tries to convince his fellow students to make sacrifices, but when he marches out of school, only Shawn is behind him.

At home, Cory is disappointed that no news programs are covering the strike, instead focusing on "that dumb missing bomb story." He is soon assaulted by his parents, yelling at him for making trouble. But Turner stops by to apologize for starting it all, and gives him a lecture about how kids can't go on strike because they are not legally adults and how having to take a test is better than struggling to make enough money to support their families.

Seeing Feeny in the backyard, they go to talk to him and apologize. Cory ends up convincing Feeny that he did, in fact, read the book all the way to the beginning. Feeny confesses that Cory really did learn something. Turner brags that Cory did that without taking a test, but Feeny says what he just went through was a test.